Hey Blake,
Over the past decade, the State Palace Theatre on Canal Street
at Rampart has become the physical epicenter of the electronic music scene
in the American
South as well as played host to countless concerts, musical and theatrical
events. I noticed that the faded sign identifying this dusty jewel as "Loew's" still
towers over the gracefully neglected yet ever-changing venue. Please share
some facts such as when the theater was constructed and what other performances
or shows have been held there.
Mike
Dear Mike,
You should have been there; everybody else was. Such hoopla! It was
Easter Saturday, April 3, 1926, and a throng of excited folks gathered to attend
the grand opening of Loew's State theater. The Times-Picayune had advertised for days, and the performance was sold out.
The gala occasion had actually begun that morning at 11:30 with a parade -- imagine that -- up and down Canal Street, to Lee Circle, and back, ending at the theater.
At 7:30 that night, we joined perhaps the largest crowd ever assembled in a New Orleans theater up to that time. From the orchestra to the last row in the topmost gallery, there was not one empty seat, and hundreds more stood up in the back. This, of course, was remarkable when you realize that there were 3,600 numbered seats in the theater!
Everyone commented on the beauty of the place. It was magnificent and gorgeously appointed. Luxurious and spacious, it boasted a beautiful foyer and wide staircase. The balcony, with its tiers of loges and wide aisles, offered a view of the house from almost any seat. The acoustics, too, were superb, and just the day before, a $50,000 Moeller organ had been installed. And perhaps best of all -- the theater was air-cooled!
Everybody in society who was anybody was there. Mayor O'Keefe and a group of city officials and their wives occupied one of the upper boxes. The beautiful ladies with their glittering gowns and jewels were having just as much fun as we plain folks.
First there was a wonderful vaudeville program,
and then "N.T.G." -- the radio announcer famous at the time and known as
the Voice of the Great White Way -- acted as master of ceremonies and introduced
each star one at a time.
The stars that shone in the April sky that
night paled in the light of the stars that appeared on the stage. The young
folks probably
won't remember some of those who made us swoon: Along with beauties like
Claire Windsor, Dorothy Mackaill, Dorothy Phillips, and Ruby Keeler, there
were Buster Keaton and Conrad Nagel. One of the headlines in the paper the
next day read, "A Galaxy of Screen Stars Enchants 3600 Astronomers."
Although we could never forget that night, things settled down to normal soon enough. In June of 1926, we went to see live on the stage Sid Hall and his orchestra and glee club. And on the screen we cheered Rin Tin Tin, the Wonder Dog, starring in The Night Cry.
One memorable occasion was on Aug. 31, 1932,
when Betty Compson, star of silent films, arrived in New Orleans for a week's
personal appearance at the Loew's State theater. The tiny blonde was on a
vaudeville tour, and her review was called "Star Night at the Coconut Grove." We
were treated to one of the finest arrays of vaudeville entertainers ever
assembled on a stage in New Orleans.
For years at Loew's State, as well as the other high-toned theaters like the
Orpheum and the Saenger, there were always live performances to be enjoyed.
The bill was usually divided between these and films. But as time went on,
the silent movies and vaudeville were replaced by first-rate talking movies
with top stars.
NOTE: In my column of Jan. 7, 2003, about the Citizen's Bank, I wrote that the bank had as one of its presidents the first governor of Louisiana -- W.C.C. Claiborne. However, the bank president was the state governor's namesake son.
